What better way to begin than with a photo of Dad with his chick. This male is half of the couple local people know as the “Dragon House Birds.” For years they nested in one specific yard, then last season the female started sitting next door. The male tried to insist that the nest be where it always was, but she who lays the egg gets to choose the nesting spot.

Dad (KP460) with chick

This may not be the total number of chicks, ultimately. There is one more egg that was laid a bit later than usual and may hatch in the next week.

Here is a list of all of the years for which I have records of the number of albatross chicks that fledged successfully.

2000-2001 6
2001-2002 9
2002-2003 12
2003-2004 9
2004-2005 12
2005-2006 13
2006-2007 20
2008-2009 12
2009-2010 18
2010-2011 10
2011-2012 21
2012-2013 19
2013-2014 10
2014-2015 23 or 24?